Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-02-25
KING
Solomon 5 Mines.
ny II. RIDER HAGGABD.

country tClu me I'LL dUOul III. SIc Sdiu siids
the people who lived across those mountains
were branch of the Zulus, speaking dia-
lect of Zulu, but finer and bigger men even;
and there lived among them great wizards,
who had learned their art from white men
when ''aIl the world was dark" and who
had the secret of a wonderful mine Of
bright stones."'
We'll, laughed at this story at the time,
though it interested me, for the diamond
fields were not discovered then, and poor
Evans went OFF and got killed, and for TWEEN
ty years / never thought any more Of the
matter But just twenty years afterward-
and that is long time, gentleman, an ele-
plant hunter does not often live for twenty
years at his business-I heard something
more definite about Suliman's Mountains
and the country which lies beyond it, was
up beyond the Manica country at place
called Sitanda's Kraal, and miserable place
it was, for one could get nothing TO eat
there, and there was but little game about.
had an attack OF fever, and was in bad
way generally, when one day Portugee ar
rived with single companion-a halr-breed.
Now | know your Deagoa POrtugee well.
There is no greater devil unhung in gen
eral way, battening as he does upon human
agony and flesh in the shape Of slaves But
this was quite different type of 4 man 20
the low fellows had been acustOmied to
meet; he reminded me more and more of the
polite dOns / have read about. lie was
tall and thin, with large black eyes and curl
ing gray mustaches. We talked together .
little, for he could speak broken English,
and understood little Portugee, and he
told mo that his name was jose SilveStre,
and that he had place near Deiagoa Bay;
and when he went on next day with his
half-breed companions he said, Goodbye
taking on his hat quite in the old style.
Goodbye, Senor' he said. If ever we meet
again ! shall be the richest man in the world,
and ! will remember you / laughed little
i was too weak TO laugh much-and
watched him strike out for the great desert
10 the west wondering IL he was mad, or
what he thought he was going to find there.
"A week passed and got the better OF my
fever. One evening | was sitting on the
ground in front Of the little tent 1 had with
me. chewing the last leg of miserable
fowl had bought from native for bit OF
cloth worth twenty fowls, and staring at the
hot red sun sinking down into the desert,
when suddenly | saw figure, apparently
that Of European, for 1t wore a coat, on the
slope OF tho rising ground opposite to me,
about three hundred yards away. The fig
IRE Crcpt along on its hands and knees, then
it got up and staggered along a few yards
on its legs, only to fall and crawl along
again. Seeing that it must be somebody in
distress, ] sent one Of my hunters TO help
him, and presently he arrived, and who do
you suppose it turned ont to be?'
Jose SIIyestrc, OF course" said Captain
Good.
Yes, Jose SiIyestre, or rather his skeleton
and little skin. Ills face was bright yell
low with bilious fever, and his large, dark
eyes stood nearly out Of his head, for all his
flesh had gone. There was nothing but yell
low parchmcnt-like skin, white hair, and the
gaunt bones sticking up beneath.
"'Watcrl for the sake OF Christ, waterF he
mOaucd | saw that his lips were cracked,
and his tongue, which protruded between
them, swollen and blackish.
II gave him water with a little milk in 1t,
and he drank It in great gups two quarts or
more without stopping. | would not let
him have any more Then the fever took
him again, and he fell down and began to
rave about Suliman's Mountains, and the
diamonds and the desert. | took him into
the tent and did what could for him, which
was little enough; but ! saw how 1t must
end. About eleven o'clock he got quieter,
and lay down for little rest and went 70
sleep. At dawn ! woke again, and saw I'm
In the half light sitting up, strange, gaunt
FORM and gazing out toward the desert.
Presently the first ray of sun shot right
sciosA tho wide plain before uS till IL reach
cd the 'ar-away crest OF one of the tallcst Of
the SulimaL Mountains more than a hun
bred miles AWAY.
"'Therc 1t isV cried the diving man In
Portuguese, stretching out his long, thin
arm but shall never reach il, never No
one VIII ever reach itI'
suddenly he paused, and seemed to take
resolution. Friend he said, turning to-
ward me, are you there? My eyes grow
dark
Yes | said; yes, lie down now, and
rest
cay lie answered, 4 shall rest noon, l
have time to rest--alI eternity. Listen, | am
dytngi You have been good ID me. | will
give you the paper. Perhaps you will get
there II you can live through the desert
which has killed nv poor servant and me-
Then he CROPPED in his shirt and brought
out what | thought was Boer tobacco
pouch Of the skin Of the swartvet-pens sable
antelopel. 1t was fastened with a little
strip of hide, what we call rimpi, and this
he tried to unite, but could not. lie handed
1t to me. Unite it, he said | did So, and
extracted bit of torn yellow linen. on
which something was written in rusty let
tiers. Inside wasa paper.
Then he went on feebly, for he was
growing weak: The paper has ii all, that is
on the rag. IL took me pears to read. LIS
ten: my ancestor: political refugee from
Lisbon, and one of the first Portuguese who
landed on these shores, wrote that when he
was dying on those mountains which no
white foot ever pressed before or since. His
name was Jose ola Silvestra. and he lived
three hundred years ago. His slave who
waited for him on this side the mountains,
found him dead, and brought the writing
home TO Delag0a. Ii has been In the family
ever since, but none have cared to read il till
at last did And | lost my life over ii, but
another may succeed, and become the rich
est man in the world. Only give il to no
one; go yourselfr Then he began to wan
der again, and in an hour 1t was all over
God rest himl he died very quietly, and ]
buried him deep with big boulders on MS
breast; so / do not think that the jackals can
have dug him up. And then l came away"
"Ay but the document" said Sir Henry.
In q tone of deep interest
Yes, the document; what was in it," adj
ded the captain.
well gentlemen, If you like | Will tell
you. have never showed it to anybody
yet except my dear wife, who is dead, and
she thought Ii was all nonsense and a
drunken old Portuguese trader who trans
lated it for me, and had forgotten all about
II next morning The original rag Is at my
home In Durham. together with poor Don
JoSe'S translation; but | have the English
rendering IN my pocket-book, ana a fac
simile of the map, il il can be called map.
Here IL is.
Il, Jose da Silvestra, who am now dying
of hunger In the little cave where no snow
is ON the north side of the nipple of the
SoutnernmoSt of the two mountains | have
named Sheba's Breasts, write this in the
year $500 with cleft bone upon q remnant
of my raiment my blood being the ink. If
my slave should find II when he comes and
should bring 1t Ia Delagoa, let my friend
tnRme ilegible) bring the matter 10 the
knowledge of the king, that he may send an
army which. ii they live through the desert
and the mountains ana can overcome the
brave kukuaneS and their deviiSh arts, Ia
which end many priests should be brought
will make him the richest King since Solo
mon. With my own eyes | have seen the
countless diamonds stored in Solomon's
treasure chamber behind the white Death >
but through the treachery of Gagool. the
witcnhnder, | might bring naught away,
scarcely MY life. Let him who comes fol-
low the map, and climb the SNOW of Sheba's
left breast till he comes TO the nipple, on
the north side OF which is the great road So
lomon made from whence three days jour
ney To the King Place. Let him kin Gagool
Pray for my soul. Farewell.